Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1887-02-25

the swinging of a great gloom all
around the heavens God hung il. As when
there is a dead one in the house you bow the
shutters or turn the lattice, so God in the at
tsrnoon shut the windows of the world. As
Il Is appropriate to throw black pail upon
the coffin as it passes along, so it was appro-
pirate that everything should be sombre that
day as the great hearse Of the earth rolled on,
bearing the corpse Of the King
A mans last hours are ordinarily kept
sacred. However you may have hated or
Harlcatureda man, when you hear he is dying
silence puts its hand on your, lips, and you
would have loathing for the man who
could stand by a death-be1 making faces
and soothing. But Christ in His last
hour cannot be left alone What
pursuing Him yet after so long a pursuit.
You have been drinking His tears, do you
want to drink his blood! They came up
closely, so that, notwithstanding the dark.
ness, they can glut their revenge with the
contortions Of his countenauce. They exam
inc his feet They want to feel for theaa-
selves whether those feet are really spiked.
They put out their hands and touch the
spikes and bring them back wet with blood,
and wipe them on their garments
Women stand there and weep, but can do
no good 1t is no place for tender-heartei wo-
men. 1t wants heart that cri ne has turned
into granite. The waves of mans hatred
aud of hells vengeance dash up against
the mangled feet, and the hands of sin and
pain and torture clutch for His holy heart
Hal He not been thoroughly fastened to the
cross they wouli have torn Him down and
trample1 Him with both feet. How the
cavalry horses arched Their necks, and
champed their bits ond reared and snuffed
at the blood. Had Roman officer called
out for light his voice would not have been
heard in the tumult; but louder than the
clash of the. spears, and the wailing Of
womanhoo1, and the neighing Of the charg-
ers, and the believing of the crIciiers,
there comes a voice crashing through, loud,
clear, overwhelming, terrific. 1t is the groan
Of the dying Son OF God. Look! What
scenel Look, oh world, at what yon have
done! l lift the covering from that mall
treated Christ to let you count tie wounds
and estimate the cost Oh, when the nails
went through Christ's right hand and
Christ's let hand-that brought both your
hands with all their power to work, and
lift, and write. When the nail went
through Christs right foot and Christ's
left foot-that bought your feet, with all
their power to walk, or run, or climb.
When the thorn went into Chrst's temple
that bought your brain with all its power to
think and plan. When the ear cleft
Christs side-thlt bought your heart with
all its power to love. and repent aud pray
Oh, sinner, come lack
If man is in no pain il he is propered, if
he is II, and he asks you to come, you take
your time and you say: 81 can't come now
I'll come after awhile There is no has,e."
But if he is in want and trouble you say: Il
must 90 right away | must go now" To-
day Jesus stretches out before you two
wounded hands, and He begs you to come.
Go and you live, stay away AMI you die.
Oh, that to Him who bought us, we might
give all our time, and all our prayers, and all
our successes! l would we could think
of nothing else, that we could do nothing
else but come to Christ He is so fair He is
so loving, He is so sympathizing He is so
good l wish we could put our arms around
His neck aid say: "Thine, Lord, will b.
forever" Oh, that to-day you would begin
10 love Himl Would that 1 could take this
audience ami wreaths it around the heart of
my Lord Jesus Christ.
When, in 1865, the Atlantic cable was lost
do you rene nber that the Great Eastern and
the Midway and the Albany we It out to find
it! Thirty times they sank the grapple two
and half miles deep i'll the water. After
awhile they found the cable and brought it
to the surface. No sooner had it been brought
to the surface than they fled a shout of ex.
ultation, but the ca lie slipped la * again into
the water and was lost Then for two
weeks more they swept tho sea with the
graphing hooks, and at last they found the
cable and they brought it up in silence.
They fastened it this time. Then with great
excitement they took one end of the cable to
the electricians room to see if there
were really any life in it, and when
they saw a spark and knew that q
message could be sent then every
hat was lifted, and the rockets flew, and
the guns sounded until all tine vessels on thu
expedition knew the work was done, and the
continents were la he'd together. Well, my
friends, Sabbath after Sabbath, we have
come searching down for your soul We
have swept the sea with the graphing
kook of Christs gospel Again and again
we have thought you were at the surface, and
began to rejoice over your redemption; but
at the moment of our gladness you sank back
again into the world and back again into
sin. To-day we come with this Gospel search
ing for your soul. We apply the cross of
Christ first to see whether there is any life
left in you while all around the people stand.
looking to see whether the work will be done,
and the angels of God bend down and witness
and oh, if now we jul see only one spark of
love, and hope and faith, we would send up
shout that would be heard on the battle.
menbs of heaven and two worlds would keep
jubilee because communication is open be-
tween Christ and the soul, and your nature
that has been suuken in the d 4ep sea of sin
has been lifted into the light aad the joy Of
the Gospel